News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-09-29
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81 did not give it to him He stole it
out of the mothers album. He did he
did he did 7" The speakers voice
rose with each repetition, and her cheeks
got redder and redder. ''I must know
better than you, Rosie ~
''Oh, of course, you do not call it Civ
ing, but 1 do. You were standing by,
I suppose, when he took it2 Your eyes
were cast down, and you put your most
becoming pout on2 And now that Tom
Crichton, with his ten thousand year,
falls in love with you and wants to marry
you, you are afraid poor Cecil Hamil-
ton Will show him your photograph and
talk about your silly letters and make
mischief You incorrigible little firt
1t would serve you right to be treated
as you have treated others. How many
men have you made fools of, wonder
A dozen 2"
The speaker spoke sarcastically; the
hearer was beginning to cry. The girls
and charming, but Lefty, the younger,
was lovely, brainless little firt. The
elder, ROsalind, had plenty of brains,
but scarcely experience enough to en-
able her to use them iudiciously. She
was a beautiful creature to look at;
warm-hearted and impulsive to fault.
There was nothing she would not do or
dare for one she loved, and she dearly
loved her bewitching little sister, and
rejoiced with all her heart when the
genial, good-looking young esquire,
Tom Crichton, who came into the neigh
borhOod to take possession of an unex-
pected inheritance, fell in love at first
sight with Lefty, and proposed to her
after weeks acquaintance.
But Tom was quick-tempered, jeal-
GUS young fellow, and he had already
spoken his mind to Miss Lefty about
her love of Irritation. She promised to
amend her ways, but it was more than
she could do to keep her promise when
temptation came in alluring guise.
Mireford was garrison town, and one
of the gallant Dashshire Regiment,
Geofrey Hamilton by name, had quick
ly succumbed to the destinations of the
younger of the two daughters of the
widowed Mrs. Maitland, who lived in
a pretty cottage on the London road.
about half mile or so from Mireford.
It was in vain that Rosalind warned the
needless young coquette that she was
treating poor young Hamilton disgrace
fully. But in good truth the young man
was very well able to take care of him
self. He was not very deeply wounded;
but as soon as CrichtOn appeared upon
the scene, he made up his mind to pun
ish Miss Lefty, if possible, for her tricks,
by pretending to be broken-hearted and
desperately jealous.
He was, however, sufficiently in love
to be able to put fair amount of seri-
BUSINESS into his reproaches; and when
he fatty refused to give up the photo |
graph Lefty had given him, and one or
two absurd little notes she had written
to him, and glove he had purloined, !
the silly girl was thoroughly frightened,
and firmly persuaded that ''Tom''
would hear all about it and break off his
engagement. Had Rosalind but known
how slightly Hamilton's heart was
touched, she would have quickly laughed
Lefty out of her fright; but when the
girl solemnly assured her that Geoff was
so much In love, and so angry and jeal-
ous that she knew he meant to have his
revenge, the sensible elder sister forgot
that she was not living in a melodram-
attic age; and, moreover, she quite over
looked the fact that Hamilton, being
gentleman, it was not likely that he
would act as if he were cad.
So, ON the whole, things were looking
very serious when, for the fiftieth time
at least, Rosalind tried to make her sis
ter confess whether she had given Geoff
the photograph, or whether he had taken
it from Mrs. Maitland's album. She
had her own opinion on the subject; so
it was really waste of time to cross-ques-
ton the naughty little girl, who was
anxious to keep the peace between the
old love and the new.
81 think you are very unkind, Rosie
she said at last; ''and if you do not be- |
lieve me, how can I expect Tom to do
it2''
81 do not expect Tom to do it You
talk as if believing in you were a gym
nastic feat. | know what | should do in |
Toms place, if another man told me he>
had photograph of the girl meant to
marry, and gloves and things"
HE has only one glove and no
things % interrupted Lefty, whimper-
ing. 'Don't exaggerate; and / gave